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5 minutes with Leela and the Spaceship

"Well, the band has formed by pure chance really"

Welcome to Fit4Talent, we are very excited to welcome Leela and the Spaceship into the interview room as we have heard so much about you, before we start, introduce yourself as a band and tell us a bit about how you formed?

Hi, thank you its a pleasure to be here. OK well i'm Jamie, I sing lead vocals. Then there's Josh on guitar and backing vocals, Shaun on bass, and Cedric on drums. We've been Leela and the Spaceship for a little over two years now, since our first gig at Derby University May Ball in 2009. We were each working on various projects at the time and decided to put two of them together to form one band. There were seven of us to begin with, and we only really had the bare bones of a live set when we were offered the gig. So we had 6 weeks to finish writing and fine tuning the songs, but we did it and it went really well. That got the ball rolling really.

I did read on the internet that you are influenced by Jazz, Indie, Folk and Soul, so a wide variety of Genre's, what genre would you put yourselves under?

Well we're each from quite different places and so individually we bring a variety of musical influences into the mix. Sounds clichéd but we've never really considered ourselves to be part of a specific movement or genre. Individually we'd probably all say something different! I guess at a push for a straight answer 'Alternative Indie Pop' might be reasonably accurate, but we're still a fairly new band developing and moving our sound so who knows what you'd call us in a years time!

How would you explain each of you as individuals in the band? I sense real characters, tell us a bit about you as people.

Well the band has formed by pure chance really, as none of us are from Derby originally but met and became friends here a few years ago. Myself and Josh are from London. Shaun is from South Africa and Cedric is from France. Josh is the orchestrating enigma and brooding thinker of the band, Shaun is the dedicated disciple of groove, Cedric is the untamable Beast, and i'm just the angelic pin-up!

You seem to have a big gig line up for the summer, where are you most looking forward to play?

We're buzzing about all of them to be honest, we've put a lot of energy into writing and rehearsing and just want to play to people as much as possible! We know we're only as good as our last performance so we'll give them all our best shot. The Tattoofest gig at Derby Assembly Rooms on July 16th is a pretty big deal for us as its the largest body art event of its kind in the UK right now, and is at a venue where lots of top acts have played. Plus we're sharing the bill with some really talented people. We'll be playing to a lot of people who may not necessarily know anything about us yet, so that'll be a great opportunity to hopefully make a load of new friends.
Also this will be our last gig of the summer as we're having a holiday break through August, so its important to us that we put on a dazzling show. We have a few gigs in the pipeline already from September onwards and by the time we get back we want to have lots of shows around more of the UK booked, so we're open to offers!

Now of course your music is very unique to your band, but we all have influential role models, which musicians do you admire and aspire to be?

We have admiration for anyone who constantly strives to improve and be progressive. Its all about dedication, being ready and willing to evolve, and always doing your best, that's our moral mantra for the kids out there! Being happy with second best is not an option!
In terms of music, we admire acts that stand the test of time and evolve their sound without noticeably compromising their integrity. Bands like Radiohead and Cinematic Orchestra and Efterklang even, who've been around for a good while and still invent fresh, inspirational ways of creating exciting new music. They have a way of transcending genres, which they're gifted enough to make look effortless but must take a hell of a lot of work.

If people want to find out more about you, how can they get in touch?

You can find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/leelaspaceship and on myspace at www.myspace.com/leelaandthespaceship Our debut e.p. is available to listen to and download for free at both of these, along with gig scheduling, band info and some pics.
You can also follow us on twitter, and if you want to email the band we're at leelaandthespaceship@hotmail.com
For bookings contact our booking agent jamierosborne@hotmail.com

I would like to say I checked out some of your music and I really enjoyed it, I will definitely be downloading more of your stuff, so keep up the good work and keep pushing on forward.